Recent water flows on Mars

[Rev. Rex]

Changing Mars Gullies Hint at Recent Flowing Water
By Tariq Malik
Staff Writer
posted: 6 December 2006
1:00 p.m. ET

This story was updated at 2:47 p.m. EST.

The changing appearance of gullies on Mars over the last seven years suggests that liquid water flowed recently on the red planet and may still seep out in brief bursts, researchers said Wednesday.

In what is billed as "the squirting gun," new images of known gullies on Mars show evidence of new flows and deposits, pointing to explosive events in which some form of water burst from crater walls and ran down their slopes.

"We've had this story of ancient water on Mars," said researcher Kenneth Edgett, who participated in the Mars gully study, during a press briefing at NASA's Washington, D.C. headquarters. "Today we're talking about liquid water that is present on Mars right now."

Edgett and colleagues used images from NASA's now silentMars Global Surveyor (MGS) to revisit regions earlier this year where gullies, depression-like landforms on the red planet's surface, were found in 2000.

What they found were new, light-colored deposits that do not appear to have formed from landslides, but could be the work of frost, salt deposits or long-sought evidence that water flowed recently on Mars [images]. The research is detailed in this week's issue of the journal Science.

"I think the evidence for liquid water is compelling," said Philip Christensen, a leading Mars researcher at Arizona State University who did not participate in Malin's study. "But I think certain questions still remain...but that's the natural flow of science."

Those remaining questions, Christensen said, include determining the source of water at the gully sites, and making in-depth spectral analyses to confirm the photographic evidence of liquid water. Pinning down the source of any liquid water source, be it a subsurface aquifer, ice pack or melting snow, is key, he added.

"The great news is that NASA has the tools to do that," said Christensen, who also serves as the principal investigator for the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) aboard NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter currently circling Mars. "I think we're really positioned to go forward with a view of Mars as a dynamic, active place."

http://www.space.com/scienceastronom...s_gullies.html

[Panth]

Yeah, I saw a quick clip on this on the news earlier.

The pics are pretty ambiguous I thought though I wouldn't rule out the possibilty of there being a bit of water there. Scientists have thought that there was water there at one time for awhile now.

Doesn't do much to change the harsh climate though. I mean, for the sake of knowledge it's interesting, but I see no real practical advancements coming from this.

[Rev. Rex]

To a point, I'd agree. Except that life as we know it requires fluid water. If there is fluid water on mars, that increases the chances of life on the planet, again, as we know it. That would have an enormous impact on science.